







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Hello, I'm sorry I'm a bit late. | |
| Sorry, is it possible to see it this Saturday after 2 o'clock? | |
| I hope it's not related to me! | |
| And we have to weigh everything by ourselves, etcetera. | |
| Oh yeah, it's our girls' night out tonight. | |
| Thanks Rocco, that's all for now. | |
| Do you like train rides, too? | |
| Yeah, I like having lasagne the day after it's cooked, it tastes better. | |
| Yeah, I'll have a beer, I guess you want wine, Cate? | |
| My laptop is in it. | |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | |
| Do you think electric stoves are better? | |
| Well, that's another problem! | |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | |
| I haven't seen her, either, and I don't really want to... | |
| He's a... Sorry Mike, what do you do? | |
| I mostly cook meat, fish and chicken dishes. | |
| How do you want me to chop the onions, big or small? | |
| Because the other people complain about me smoking there. | |
| Yes, he definitely doesn't like changing places. | |